Joseph hyde



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JOSEPH HYDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WASHBOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,426, dated August 1, 1854.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPI-I HYDE, of the city and State of New York,have invented certain Improvements in Vashboards; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and; exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of theboard with the rubber combined with it. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal edgesection. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rubber detached from thewash board, the opposite side being shown to that represented in Fi l.

The same letters refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The nature ofmy invention consists, firstly, in forming the surface of awash board of a congeries of projections or knuckles, prominent anddistinct (although not necessarily disconnected), and of a substance initself elastic or semi-elastic.

Secondly, my invention consists in combining in a peculiarly handy andsimple way, with such a wash board a rubber which may be a scouringbrush with elastic knuckles on its reverse side, and the rubber may besoarranged as to present either surface to the wash board at the will ofthe operator. a

The construction is as follows:

A, Fig. 1, is a frame of any usual or convenient form holding a panel Bof wood or metal, and rather thin as compared with its equivalent in anordinary wash board. This panel is pierced with holes, through which areforced short round ended cylinders of vulcanized caoutchouc or guttapercha of greater diameter than the holes, after which the extremitiesof these cylinders will eX- pand against those adjoining and assume theform of round headed rivets. See Fig. 2; together constituting a seriesof elastic knuckles over the whole surface of the wash board. e l

C is the rubber, the brush side exposed (the reverse side being shown atFig. 3) and is connected to the board at (a) by the intermediate togglelinks or levers (b) and so that at the trunnions (c) the rubber mayrevolve or swivel between the ends of the togglelevers.

at the head of the board, which may be of It will now be seen that aperson standing the ordinary size, and the feet of the board restingupon the bottom of a wash tub in the usual way, the article to bewashedbeing placed upon the face of the board and the rubber beingraised and placed upon the article, the edge or a fold of the articlebeing pinched against. the lower edge of the rubber by the fingers andthe rubber itself being firmly grasped by the whole hand or hands, itwill be seen that the article may be thoroughly rubbed with any desiredpressure, the toggles allowing the rubber to move up and down squarelyover the board, and without the knuckles of the hands being called intoplay at all, and articles of the coarsest or most delicate texture maybe perfectly treated in a way to correspond to its nature without theemployment of a cumbersome washing machine on the one side or anyabrasion ofthe fingers on the other. The rubber however may be moved upinto the recess (d) out of the way if desired as occasion may require.The opposite sides of the board are alike and either may alike beemployed, the rubber it will be obvious on inspection of the figuresbeing capable of passing over the head of the board to either side of itindifferently, and would present precisely the same appearance and modeof operation.

The knuckles or projections can also be formed in another way, althoughsubstantially the same in nature; in this latter mode of constructing orforming my yielding, knuckled, rubbing surfaces for wash boards, thedifference being that in lieu of the india rubber rivets, I form theknuckles by threading through and through the panel or face of theboard, shoemaker fashion, india rubber cord, or even cotton cord whichproves a very cheap and. serviceable substitute of cotton cord coveredor coated with caoutchouc may be. used. The cord should be evenlytwisted and drawn in taut, and of course, fastened by aknot or anyconvenient means at each extremity. All things considered, I prefer thismodification to the other.

I am aware that cushions or pads of india rubber have been used inwashing machines for rubbers acting on a common board (which formed anitem in such machines) but it is not the material so much as the formunder which it is brought in action. Thus I find cotton nearly or quiteas good as india rubber for material. I find no form of surface howeverto compare with the knuckle for rubbing and cleansing textilesubstances.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention what- I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The employment of theelastic or semielastic knuckles each distinct but the scribed.

JOSEPH HYDE. Witnesses:

A. SHAMoN, JOSEPH PEACOCK.

